


Graduation Day

by embroiderama



Series: Ben 'Verse [4]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Graduation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 18:17:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2160354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embroiderama/pseuds/embroiderama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neal watches his son graduate from high school.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Graduation Day

**Author's Note:**

> This was written in a timestamp meme for algeiban.

Graduation day was hectic, starting with Ben getting home late from sleeping over at a friend’s place. Neal had to give Ben a push in the direction of the shower and then help him tie his tie and gather up his cap and gown, and they had to rush through the crowd of students and families to get Ben to the right spot. Neal was harried by the time he found Peter and Elizabeth, and they made their way to uncomfortable seats in the high school gym to wait for the ceremony to begin.

Peter leaned over close enough for Neal to hear him through the din. “How are you holding up?”

“It’s funny, I’ve never been to one of these before.”

“You’ve never been to a high school graduation?”

“You know I skipped my own, and there just wasn’t any reason to go to one before now.” Neal had been to Ben’s elementary school and middle school graduation ceremonies, but those had been mostly pointless. Ben’s bar mitzvah had been tremendously important, but that was a personal rite of passage, not this massive orgy of parental pride and teenage achievement. The ceremony moved slowly, with speeches from various school officials and a few students, and

Neal didn’t care that Ben wasn’t one of those few students being showered with award after award. His son was bright and talented, and in a few months he’d be going upstate to start college at a school with a respected art program. Ben’s moment of walking across the state to get his diploma was so quick, but Neal lost track of time through the rest of the alphabet. He wished that Hannah could be there, but she had lived to attend Ben’s bar mitzvah and that had been more important to her than any school function. The more complicated thought was of Ben’s mother.

According to Hannah, Andrea had been planning to introduce Neal to Ben once Neal was finished with his sentence, and so Neal imagined a world in which they were both sitting there watching Ben graduate. He didn’t know what kind of relationship he would have had with Ben if they hadn’t gotten to know each other while dealing with a tragic loss and sudden full-time fatherhood, and he didn’t know how he and Andrea would have worked together as co-parents, but for Ben and Andrea’s sake he wished they’d had the chance to find out.

When the graduation ceremony was finally over, Neal sent Peter and Elizabeth ahead and went to track down his son. Ben was planning to go to a big party that evening but Neal had insisted on taking him out for dinner first, and Ben had finally agreed. Neal found Ben standing with Olivia and some other friends, his polyester gown wadded up and held inside the matching cap. Neal congratulated the other kids then led Ben off with an arm around his narrow shoulders.

They found Peter and Elizabeth already seated at the restaurant. Peter had ordered a not-inexpensive bottle of champagne, and Neal shook his head but poured some for both Ben and himself. It was difficult to remember sometimes that luxuries like high-end champagne had once been the standard in Neal’s life. Those years were like a strange, glittering sea with the struggles of Neal’s childhood on one side and his ongoing attempt at a normal life with Ben on the other. That sea of memory was beautiful and thrilling but also treacherous and stormy with the barren island of prison in the middle of it.

Nonetheless, the champagne was wonderful, and Neal laughed at the sight of Ben scrunching up his face at the taste. Neal set his glass down and cleared his throat. “I’d like to say something.”

“Dad, can’t we just get some food?”

“I’ll make this quick.” Neal waited until Ben finished rolling his eyes to continue. “I’ve just been thinking that I wish I had been able to be there for your first day of school, Ben, but I’m so proud to have been there for your graduation. I wish that your mother and your nana could have been there today too, and I’m so grateful to both of them for what they did to help make you the man you are now.”

Ben looked down and rubbed at his eyes, but Neal continued.

“And I’m also grateful to Peter and Elizabeth for being part of our family and for letting us be a part of theirs. I don’t know how any of this would have worked without you.”

Peter met Neal’s eyes across the table and nodded wordlessly.

“Most of all, Ben, I’m grateful that you’ve let me be your father for the past eleven years. My life changed the moment I found out about you, but you agreed to come home with me and I’m glad about that every day. Even when you’re driving me crazy.”

Ben looked up and gave Neal an awkward smile. “I’m glad, too,” he said just above a mutter. “Thanks, Dad.”

“And now I’ll shut up so that we can all order some food. But first, cheers to you, Ben. Congratulations.” Neal held up his glass to toast. Peter and Elizabeth raised their glasses, and after a moment Ben did as well. They all clinked glasses in the middle of the table, and the Burkes’ congratulations joined his own. Neal wasn’t sure how he was going to eat around the emotions that were filling him to the brim, but he didn’t particularly care.


End file.
